First with limited time it’s important to use that time wisely. So turn off any distractions, put up the do not disturb sign and have everything prepared ready to go before you sit down to start writing. This will save you from wasting time.

Below I’ve broken the writing process down into short simple writing sessions you could do in the time you have for a coffee break.

Ready to finally get on with your writing?

Session 1 – A Brainstorming session to start getting those book ideas flowing. Write everything that pops into your mind down with no censorship or criticism.

Session 2 – Review ideas and pick out the ones that resonate with you. Write each separate idea down on its own sticky note ready for organizing in a “Post It Wall” outline.

Session 3 – Build the characters for your story. Write them on your sticky notes. Give them special attributes and characteristics. Try to be as specific as you can to make them more believable and life like. Again this is a brainstorming session so try to get into your character and write down ALL your ideas to flesh them out.

Session 4 – This will be your actual first writing session to come up with a catchy opening paragraph. Include your setting, introduce your main character(s) and start the momentum happening. Most importantly come up with some kind of hook to capture your reader’s interest and draw them into your story.

Session 5 – Revisit the beginning of your book and enrichen it. Bring your reader right into the setting of your book. Make your characters come to life. Develop your style and let the story unfold.

Session 6 – As we move into the middle section of our book our plot and subplot unfolds along with the conflicts our character is working through. Now’s the time to put together an outline for your book. Got back to all your sticky notes and using the Post It Wall outline paste those sticky notes to a blank wall and start to organize them and create a direction for your story. Fill in any gaps and add descriptive words or phrases to start fleshing out your story. Revisit your Post It Wall outline as often as needed.

Session 7 – Now that you have an outline and some direction for your story you can get on to writing a quick rough draft to your book. This will be the first of many drafts. Doing it quickly will give you a clean trajectory following the outline of your story. If you blast your way to the ending this will give you a much better sense of what belongs in the beginning and middle sections of your book.

Session 8 – With your outline and the rough draft you should have developed the key principles, parts and milestones as benchmarks to move along within your story structure. When you did the strategizing and plotting of your main story points in your outline you probably have a pretty good idea of how your story will end. If you’re not quite certain here is where you’ll do some brainstorming to arrive at a strong ending for your story. Write down a few endings and read them with your whole story to see which one flows the best and is best suited to your story.

Session 9 – Time for revision – recite and rewrite. With a rough draft completed now is the time to get more critical and revise your work making sure each paragraph leads to the next. Each page leads to the next page. Reread your work (reading it out loud). Look for the flow. Ask yourself questions such as “What exactly is happening here and what effect does it have on my character? Have I expressed my ideas in a way that will give my readers the perspective I was hoping for, engaging them and guiding them on the path of my story? You the writer will always be controlling the direction of your story. Does each scene deepen your reader’s connection to the story?
This is where you will be doing your cutting or reworking of weak areas. Recite them once more and rewrite until you are happy with what you have created.

These tips were taken from my book “The Coffee Break Author”

Make sure to read the complete version of “The Coffee Break Author” by Patrice Porter found at http://bringoutthepotential.com It is full of tips and insights to help you through your writing process.

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